Studies on odd-parity states of the Sm atom

Two-step excitation and ionization processes are used to detect Sm atoms in many excited states populated with tunable lasers. The wavelength of the first laser is tuned to the resonances from the Sm 4f66s2 7FJ (J=-6) states to many odd-parity states with different electronic configurations, where the atoms are detected by photoionization process using an ultraviolet laser with a wavelength of 355 nm. Precise measurements on the energy level and intensity for many Sm 4f66s6p and 4f55d6s2 states have been carried out. In a theoretical analysis on the spectral data, such as peak position, relative intensity, many transitions can be identified as the resonances from the Sm 4f66s2 7FJ (J=0-6) states to the atomic states with 4f66s6p and 4f55d6s2 electronic configurations. This work also reports many spectral data on the odd-parity states that cannot be found in the literature.